RootsTech, Day 2.0

I did and learned so much today (and the day’s not even over yet!) so I’m not going to do a full post on everything. Instead, I will do separate posts about each session I attended. Here are the highlights though:

The main session by Curt Witcher of the Allen County Public Library was pretty inspiring and incredible. This statement, paraphrased, really enlivened many of us in attendance: “Genealogy is about the experience and not proper citation format. People don’t keep doing things that make them miserable.”

Witcher also painted this picture of the 21st-century genealogist:
– not a genealogical society member (because societies aren’t embracing technology)
– brick-and-mortar resources are their last resort
– they have handhelds, expect real-time information and believe Moore’s law, which states that technology will double in capability/capacity every 18 months (lay version)

The breakout sessions I attended included one on photography tools for genealogists, an overview of efforts to digitize Irish records, a session on blogging and a discussion on technology (or the lack thereof) in genealogical societies. I’ll recap these sessions in future posts.

I had lunch with Amy Coffin and Kerry Scott and we had a great discussion about the future of the larger professional organizations and the implications of RootsTech on upcoming conferences.

Now, I’m eating leftovers and getting psyched for Late Night at the Library. There will be a viewing of Who Do You Think You Are?, a “radio broadcast” by Thomas MacEntee, classes on how to use the FHL and more. I think I need some more caffeine.